Badge of Honor [The Town of Pearl 9] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever)

by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  Galvin chuckled. “I like more than just a piece of ass, Gus. Besides, you’re still trying to get Beth out of your head from three years ago.”

  “I am not.”

  “Right.”

  “I am not, Galvin. She left me, remember?”

  “Exactly, and she wound up pregnant with that asshole’s child. You nearly wound up behind bars for assaulting that guy.”

  “He beat up his pregnant girlfriend.”

  “It wasn’t your problem. You were looking for an excuse to smash his head in.”

  “I should have.”

  “You could have killed him if it weren’t for Mace.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I wasn’t going to kill him, just make it so the fucker had plenty of time to think about being a good man to Beth and that baby of theirs. It all worked out.”

  “Thanks to Wyatt.”

  “It’s in the past.”

  “It sure is.”

  They were both quiet a few moments.

  “You know you would have done the same thing if it was your woman.”

  “She wasn’t your woman anymore, Gus.”

  “Still, you wouldn’t have stood by and watched that asshole hit a pregnant woman.”

  “No fucking way. And that’s what everyone including Wyatt agreed with and saved you from jail time. It helped, too, that the asshole had a record and was in violation of his patrol. He dropped charges and you got away with giving him an ass kicking he’d never forget.”

  “No woman deserves to get treated badly.”

  “Agreed. Let’s talk with Wyatt then head to the store.” Galvin parked the SUV in the sheriff’s department parking lot and then they headed inside.

  Chapter 4

  “It’s been three months. Where the fuck did this bitch disappear to?” Rafael asked Miklos.

  “I don’t know, man. We couldn’t get to her in that hospital. After the first botched attempt, and the Feds getting involved, we had to shut the operation down,” Miklos told his boss.

  “One fucking female cop and her asshole partner fuck all this up? How the hell does shit like this happen? I’ve got the Columbians on my ass for product and no place for the shit to be made, transported to, and stored for safety. Fuck, I want this bitch dead.”

  “What about her partner?” Orlando asked his boss. “He was in bad condition.”

  “They covered that shit up, too. Who knows if he is dead or alive? It was the bitch that killed Aces. We’ll revenge my brother’s death, even if it takes years,” Rafael told his men.

  “What about the shipments, the new investors you’re looking into? Any connections with them that could help nail this bitch?” Miklos asked.

  “Possibly, but right now we need to rebuild. We’re down a little thanks to that fuckup. Aces had other information only he knew about. I’m trying to pick up the leftover pieces and it sucks. I’ve got the Columbians on my ass, and then this fucking Russian asshole demanding a piece of the action.”

  “Those crazy bastards. We should own those locations by the waterfront and in East Harlem,” Miklos replied.

  “They own a lot of the action in all the major cities, but New York, this area is ours. They want a fucking war, then we’ll give them a fucking war. Keep your eyes and your ears open. Maybe put some pressure on some of those cops you guys have on the payroll. Someone is bound to know where she went to. When we do find her, she’s going to suffer for all the shit she caused and ultimately for Aces’s death. She killed our brother, Miklos. The woman is going to die a long, painful death.”

  * * * *

  “Dmitri, it seems you’ve gotten yourself into the middle of a situation. I’ve heard some chatter about the Columbians and this Tenth Street gang wanting to move in on part of your territory in New York. It’s prime location, though small,” Storm said to him as they sat in Dmitri’s home office.

  “It is prime location, and I get what they are attempting to do. It’s all hearsay right now. They think they have this power and ability,” Dmitri replied.

  “So it’s typical small gang shit. They don’t know who they’re dealing with,” Storm said.

  “That’s because these people are savages. They think nothing of slitting throats and dumping bodies. Their greed of money feeds their egos,” Dmitri told Storm.

  “So you have no concern, and there’s nothing you need us to do to assist?” Storm asked.

  “No. Not for now. If this attempt by the Tenth Street gang doesn’t blow over soon then I’ll do something. I’ll send a clear message. But for now we’ll sit tight. You know that you would have done the same thing for Mary. Helped out a situation like this.”

  “I agree. Lauren Michaels’s father Al was a good man and loyal to the organization. With Mary’s connections and long line of supporters, it was a smart move on your part to assist. Mary will owe you big time,” Storm said.

  “That’s not why I did it. This was a fucked up situation.”

  “Aren’t they all, Dmitri? Maybe Aspen is right, and you do actually have a heart,” Storm teased.

  Dmitri stared at him intently. “Never say such a thing. You know I don’t have one. This was something that needed to be done. I don’t need to explain but can tell you that Al helped someone very close to all of us. Let’s leave it at that.”

  Storm nodded his head.

  “So we wait?”

  “We wait.”

  “You call me, you say the word, and me and the team will be there for you to resolve this neatly.”

  Dmitri leaned back in his chair.

  “Neatly? Hmm. Now that sounds more like a fairy tale. If these fuckers push, then when I push back it will be to end it all.”

  Storm nodded his head and Dmitri looked away from him and out the window. He’d saved Al’s daughters’ lives, getting the three of them and their aunt out of danger. He would ensure they remained safe and alive, and his debt to Al Michaels would finally be cleared.

  * * * *

  Lauren stood by the window that overlooked the woods. She didn’t even remember coming here, or how she even got to Mary’s house. She worried about her sisters and Aunt May, but Mary Higgins ensured her that they were safe and out of New York. She hadn’t stepped foot outside of Mary’s house to venture into the town she had heard so much about. She only started working out again in the last two weeks and now began to run.

  She hadn’t wanted to be seen by anyone, even now with the bruising all gone and her ability to walk normal and with no pain. Instead she remained indoors, tormented by the tragedies in her life and the second near death experience that cost her her partner Frankie’s life. If he was even dead. He had to be. Mary didn’t have any information for her and she’d warned her that Lauren couldn’t contact anyone. It was for her safety, and theirs.

  She hadn’t prayed to God in years. She assumed there couldn’t possibly be one with all the violence and evildoers so prominent in the world. If there were a God then why would he allow so much violence? Why would he take two parents away from three young girls? Why would he allow thugs, gangbangers, and murderers to continue their evil ways?

  She’d been over it in her mind a thousand times, yet she still believed in God. She was just temporarily on strike against him.

  She questioned Frankie as if he could still hear her. Why couldn’t you just wait for backup?

  She closed her eyes and heard and saw the shots ring out, colliding against his body. He was shot so many times.

  She shook her head and ran her hand over her own scars. A bullet wound to her ribs, one to her upper thigh, and one against her shoulder that was the least damaging. All scarred, all requiring surgery, and the one to her ribs nearly cost her her life. She hadn’t even known she was shot until after, as paramedics looked her over and the chaos of the crime scene continued. She’d killed eight gang members and Aces.

  She pulled her lip between her teeth. Now the son of a bitch’s brothers and his friends wanted revenge.

  She worried about her au
nt and her sisters but apparently Mary Higgins had friends in high and low places. They’d gotten them all to safety in separate areas. When three thugs attempted to kill her in the hospital, Mary’s friends had been ready. Of course Lauren couldn’t remember any of it. She was drugged up and out of it.

  But now she was finally ready to train again, and prepare for what was to come. Working the streets of NYC and being on the force showed her the realities of people like members of the Tenth Street gang. They were a notorious gang that spanned across borders like Mexico, Columbia, and Guatemala They knew blood, death, intimidation, and dying only for their oath to the gang. Police were scum, lowlifes who were trying to destroy that oath and their ways of gaining power and strength. The uniforms, the badges they wore, made them instant targets. This gang was known to hate cops and have members that killed them. There was no respect for the law, or for rules other than their own and their ruler. A ruler she’d killed.

  She knew from crime scenes she’d come across what these monsters were capable of and those images would never fade from her mind. They would be her focus while gaining her strength and preparing to protect her family.

  She reached into the drawer by the side of her bed and pulled her Glock from there. She checked her weapon and then secured it onto her waist and under her jogging hoodie, behind her waist. She wouldn’t take any chances.

  She pulled her long blonde hair into a ponytail and then grabbed her sunglasses. As she headed downstairs, she embraced the feel of the old world charm of the house, and the way Mary decorated it. She especially loved the room she was staying in, and the large windows with stained glass above them.

  “Good morning, Lauren, how are you doing today?” Beth, Mary’s in-house helper and friend, asked.

  “Determined,” Lauren said then gave a soft smile.

  Beth nodded her head. “Good. I made some eggs and bacon. Would you like to have breakfast before your run or are you grabbing a protein shake?”

  Beth was beginning to learn Lauren’s routine. She was such a sweet woman, and tough, just like Mary.

  “I’m going to grab the protein shake. I lost a lot of weight besides muscle that I need to gain back. Are you going into town today?” she asked.

  “Sure am, what do you need?”

  “I might go, too. I’ll just need directions to the local store.”

  “I can bring you.”

  “No, I think it’s better if I go alone and no one sees us together. Precaution ya know?”

  Beth pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and gave a sad expression. “The likelihood that these men will find you in Pearl is pretty slim.”

  “Not a chance I’m willing to take with your life or with Mary’s. I would have died back there in New York if Mary didn’t have such resourceful friends. Friends she still hasn’t told me about,” Lauren teased as she heard Mary approaching from the other room. She had great hearing and was on guard. That was something she may have to maintain for years to come.

  “I’ll tell you all about them if need be. The point is that you’re safe and so are your sisters and your aunt,” Mary announced, joining them. Mary looked her over.

  “Going for a run?”

  “Yes, and then I’ll come back, shower, and check out the town.”

  “I could go with you and show you around, Lauren,” Mary suggested.

  Lauren looked away from her and started toward the door. “No, that’s okay. I can’t be socializing with anyone and letting on that I’m here. Please understand, I can never let my guard down.”

  “So you’re going to be paranoid forever? It doesn’t seem fair,” Mary said.

  “You saw firsthand their capabilities when they broke into the hospital and tried to kill me. I escaped death twice by these men. A third time? I’m not betting on it.”

  She walked out the door and felt as if her blood were boiling. It made her angry every time she thought about how these thugs got away with killing Frankie, and how they attempted to kill her in the hospital as she recovered from being shot twice. The police and the Feds weren’t doing shit. As she headed toward the back of the house and the thick, plush woods, she thought about her aunt and her sisters. She wanted them to remain safe, but eventually Miklos and Rafael, Aces’s brothers and the other gang of shit, would track them down. Mary said that her friends had them somewhere safe and protected. Lauren didn’t know who these men were and how they had such capabilities, but eventually they would have to stop watching over them. What Lauren needed to do now was to train, to be ready for a fight and prepared for the unexpected.

  She had loved her job and it had consumed her life. She wanted to go back to the time before the incident and what had turned into an ambush. She wanted to do her job investigating murders and locking up crooks. She wanted normalcy, and to rid her body of this constant anxious feeling. She also wanted revenge. Killing those nine men just didn’t seem to justify Frankie’s death or the continued drug dealing that was still going on. It was a never ending battle. Take out a few dealers, even a larger cartel of shit, and right behind them were another group of invaders. Everywhere she turned there seemed to be killers, manipulating criminals ready to make money. Where there were drugs there were addicts, and where there were addicts there was always money to be made. Maybe Hercules, Felix, Roach, Mangle, and Turk were still working the case against the Tenth Street gang?

  She couldn’t help feeling the urge to contact them but she knew she wasn’t able to do that. This was the tough part. Trying to sit tight and remain hidden when all she wanted to do was to jump right back into the investigation and destroy the rest of the Tenth Street gang. She wondered what they were up to and if they were weakened at all by the incident. Her hope that they suffered enough to think about closing up shop entirely seemed more like a fantasy than reality.

  As she pulled up her hoodie then turned on her iPod, she began to trek through the woods and the semirough terrain. She located a spot where she could set up some mock targets to keep her shot sharp and accurate. With men like Rafael, she needed to be prepared like never before. Otherwise, she was as good as dead, and so were Mary and Beth.

  The music couldn’t seem to take her mind off of everything that happened and as she went to pull out the earbuds, she caught sight of the movement to her right and then the man jogging.

  On instincts she turned, knelt, pulled the Glock from under her hoodie, and aimed.

  His arms went up immediately. “Whoa. What the hell?” he stated angrily, and Lauren held the gun and stared at him. Her heart was racing. Her hands were sort of shaking and she knew she was out of practice. Who was this guy and where the hell did he come from?

  “Who the hell are you?” she demanded to know.

  “I could ask the same about you. I’ve never seen you on the trail before or in town. Who the fuck are you and why are you pointing a gun at me?” he asked in such a stern commanding tone she almost lowered the gun. Slightly.

  He lowered his hands then crossed his arms in front of his massive chest as if he were used to having guns pointed at him. That observation made her grip the gun a little tighter. The guy was big, filled with muscles, and had a look of confidence and arrogance. The fact he wore a military green T-shirt and sweats made her think he was a soldier. He was very attractive, too. It made her lose her focus a moment.

  “You came up out of nowhere. I’ve been jogging through these woods for weeks. I’ve never seen you.”

  “Well I could say the same for you,” she replied and looked him over. She felt an odd sensation. Maybe because the man was smoking hot, she wasn’t sure. But she wasn’t going to fall for his dark eyes or muscles.

  “Put the gun down, sweetheart. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  She snorted. “As if,” she replied and he raised one of his eyebrows at her, looking shocked by her attitude.

  She followed her gut and lowered her weapon.

  “You shouldn’t sneak up on women or anyone for that matter. I could have
shot you,” she told him as she placed her weapon back into the special holder on her back under her hoodie. He watched and seemed to be analyzing her.

  “I didn’t sneak up on you. This is my normal route.”

  “Whatever,” she replied and then prepared to continue running.

  “Do you have a license for that?” he asked, referring to her weapon.

  “You a cop?” she challenged.

  He shook his head slowly. “Some people around here don’t take a liking to having a gun drawn on them. Could lead to an unfortunate situation,” he warned her.

  She looked him over. Under normal circumstances she might have entertained the idea of getting to know this guy and maybe flirt a little. But these weren’t normal circumstances. She wasn’t in her element or in her city. She was in the middle of the woods in Texas, and redneck cowboys had their own share of badass reputations. She straightened her shoulders and replied to his comment.

  “Well that’s good to know. As long as no one sneaks up on me, then they won’t wind up in the middle of an unfortunate situation.” She turned and started walking away.

  * * * *

  Harper stared at the young woman who’d just drawn a gun on him. It took a lot of self-control to not disarm her and then not hurt her. He was furious. First of all, how the hell did she pull so quickly and without him even reading her body language? Was he that spent after his last job? Or was it because he was shocked to see anyone this far in the woods jogging, and a female who looked to have a pretty damn good body on her. Who the hell was she?

  He didn’t know why, but Harper began following her. His interest, maybe curiosity or just plain annoyance for letting this stranger get the upper hand for a moment, led him to jogging behind her.

  She glanced over her shoulder a couple of times and then would pick up the pace, zig and zag a little, and it made him smile. Especially as she expertly dodged rocks or thick branches as well as uneven ground. She obviously enjoyed working out hard or she was just trying to impress him. A funny sensation filled his gut. He should have ditched her and headed back to the ranch a while ago. Why did this woman, a stranger dressed with a hoodie, sunglasses, and a gun, interest him so?